New South Wales Rugby League season 1989

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1989
competition = New South Wales Rugby League premiership


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 16
premiers = leagueicon|Canberra Raiders|16 Canberra
count = 1st
minor premiers = leagueicon|South Sydney Rabbitohs|16 South Sydney
mpcount = 17th
matches = 183
points = 5537
attendance = 2040375
top points scorer = leagueicon|St. George Dragons|16 Ricky Walford (146)
leagueicon|Balmain Tigers|16 Andy Currier (146)
top try scorer = leagueicon|Canberra Raiders|16 Gary Belcher (17)
1989's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-second season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canberra Raiders and Balmain Tigers. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1989 Panasonic Cup.

eason summary

Tewnty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of Souths, Penrith, Balmain Canberra and Cronulla (who finished equal with Brisbane but beat them in a play-off for fifth) to battle it out in the finals.

The 1989 season's Rothmans Medal was shared by Cronulla-Sutherland forward Gavin Miller and Newcastle Knights front-rower Mark Sargent. Miller also won the Dally M Award and was named "Rugby League Week's" player of the year.

Teams

The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season, with sixteen clubs contesting the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one from the Australian Capital Territory.

Grand Final

A number of rugby league writers referred to the 1989 Grand Final as the greatest ever [ [Clarkson, "The Greatest Games We Ever Played" p133] ] ; whether so or not, Canberra displayed extraordinary focus and self belief to snatch a last minute victory.

The pre-match entertainment was provided by John Williamson. Canberra were making their second Grand Final appearance and bidding to become the first non-Sydney side to win the premiership. They were also looking to win from a finals fourth spot which had never before been done. Balmain had been bridesmaids in the 1988 decider and, boasting a Test-strength pack, were favourites to win.

Balmain led 12-2 at half time, having scored two tries against the run of play. The first came from an intercept by winger James Grant after Raiders prop Brent Todd lost possession in a heavy tackle. The second was a great team effort with Paul Sironen steaming over under the posts after lead-up work from English import Andy Currier and Grant, all starting from a kick ahead by Currier after he had received a perfect offload from Steve Roach.

Canberra had looked marginally the better side in the first half and coach Tim Sheens spoke effectively to his players at the break, stressing that they could be considered unlucky to be trailing. Fifteen minutes into the second half "Chicka" Ferguson set up the Raiders' first try when he escaped an attempted tackle by Currier, passed to Belcher, who also beat Currier to score. The gap was narrowed to 12-8.

Twice in the last twenty minutes Balmain nearly wrapped up the match. Michael Neil was ankle-tapped five metres from the line in a desperate dive by Mal Meninga. Then the Tigers' captain Wayne Pearce lost the ball with the line wide open and Tim Brasher unmarked.

Warren Ryan's decision with fifteen minutes left to firstly replace the enforcer Roach with defender Kevin Hardwick and then Sironen with Michael Pobjie may have been the turning point in the game. Ryan effectively set out to defend a six point lead, a tactic which ultimately backfired. Benny Elias' field goal attempt hit the cross bar, after he'd earlier had one charged down by Meninga. However with 90 seconds to go and it seemingly all over for the Raiders, the evergreen Ferguson scored the try of his life. Chris O'Sullivan sent up a searching bomb, Laurie Daley was there to palm the ball to Ferguson who stepped back inside past three converging defenders to score close to the posts, enabling an easy conversion for Meninga to level.

With Canberra's confidence mounting, the game became the first Grand Final to go into same-day extra time. At this point the Sironen/Roach replacements became crucial with neither able to resume the field for the extra period.

Garry Jack knocked on two minutes into the third period and from the scrum Canberra's five-eighth O'Sullivan kicked a field goal. Minutes from the finish, Raiders replacement Jackson received the ball fifteen metres from the line and made for the tryline, beating two men and then carrying a further three with him. As he was being brought down he reached out to place the ball one-handed on the line.

It was Canberra's first ever premiership; the first Grand Final won by an out-of-Sydney club; the first that went to extra time; and the first team to win from 4th position. The nineteen year old Bradley Clyde was a deserved man of the match.

Canberra 19 (Tries: Belcher, Ferguson, Jackson; Goals: Meninga 3; Fld Goal: O'Sullivan 1)

Balmain 14 (Tries: Grant, Sironen; Goals: Currier 3 )

Clive Churchill Medal: Bradley Clyde (Canberra)

World Club Challenge

On the 4th of October, Canberra played British champions Widnes in the 1989 World Club Challenge at Old Trafford, Manchester. The Raiders lost 18 to 30 in front of 30,768.

References

* Clarkson, Alan (1997). "The Greatest Games We Ever Played" (Essay Collection, ed Geoff Prenter). Sydney: Ironbark Publishing.
* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1989.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1989] "The World of Rugby League".

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=26709 Article on the 1989 Grand Final at rleague.com]
* [http://www.eraofthebiff.com/mm32.html 1989 Grand Final at eraofthebiff.com]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGpfea1rN6c] "1989 Grand Final highlights
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXIzp0ok24I] "1989 Winfield Cup TVC'
* [http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1989/j_j_giltinan_shield_and_winfield_cup/index.php 1989 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1989.html NSWRL season 1989 at rugbyleagueproject.com]
* [http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1981-1990.html Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au]